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Increase in cattle leads to rise to greenhouse gases in Ireland
A SHARP rise in the size of the national herd coupled with use of cheap coal to fire power stations has resulted in an increase in dangerous greenhouse gas emissions.
Cattle agents come South as gap widens on UK price
The growing price gap between British and Irish beef factories is finally beginning to crack as Northern Irish buyers become more active in Southern marts.
Scramble on for milk quota
Dairy farmers are scrambling to secure quota from the last ever quota exchange in as they seek to avoid superlevy fines between now and 2015.
Ash disease set to go endemic
The threat from Ash Dieback has sharply increased following the discovery of the disease in hedges surrounding the site where the disease was first identified.
ó Cuív: Minister must explain DAS delays
Fianna Fáil has called on the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney, to explain why close to 35,000 farmers have not received Disadvantaged Area Scheme (DAS) payments.
Fodder transport payments cleared
Provisional payments totalling €1m under the 2013 Imported Fodder Transport Scheme have been cleared by the Department of Agriculture.
Insurance firms face battle as Zurich joins farm market
Competition in the lucrative farm insurance sector is set to hot up following the entry of the global giant Zurich Insurance into the market.
Cow Production Index to assist farmers in identifying under-performing stock
Dairy farmers will have a new tool to identify under-performing cows in their herd and help them with culling decisions in 2014.
Candidates neck and neck in race for IFA presidency
The IFA presidential race is wide open, with the two contestants Jer Bergin and Eddie Downey running neck and neck.
'Sickening' 15pc cut in beef prices enrages Irish producers
Irish processors have reduced Irish prime beef prices by 15pc more than the equivalent in Britain since the end of June.
John Shirley: Cuts still needed as national debt rises €1,000 every three seconds
"Keep after the public servants and they way they are being mollycoddled."
Dairymen in good form but there's a sting in tail
Milk production has been maintained without the usual plummet at this time of year due to high rainfall and reduced temperatures.
Joe Barry: Delighted with thinning returns of Sitka spruce
Having recently carried out the first thinning on 4.5ha of Sitka spruce and 0.80ha of Norway spruce in Co Leitrim, my optimism concerning the wisdom of investing in forestry has been vindicated.
Calf-to-beef trial reaps stunning results from traditional methods
Stunning results from Teagasc's calf-to-beef trials in Johnstown Castle show that margins of more than €2,000/ha are achievable from a largely traditional calf-rearing system.
26pc of farmers worried about merchant debt
Nine out of 10 farmers believe they have enough fodder for the coming winter and spring but more than one quarter are still concerned about the level of debt owed to co-ops and merchants.
61pc in favour of coupled suckler cash
Farmers gave strong backing to the idea of some sort of coupled payment for suckler cows as part of the new CAP, with 61pc coming out in favour of the move.
Majority say scrap Seanad
Two-thirds of the country's farmers believe the Seanad should be scrapped.
Majority expect to be over quota
More than half of the country's dairy farmers will be over quota by the end of next March, a survey of more than 330 milk suppliers has found.
Tough motor tax regime takes effect
The Department of the Environment's tough new regime on motor tax kicked in on Tuesday, following its decision not to extend the deadline for people attempting to get their vehicle's tax and registration documentation in order.
One in six farmers have suffered crime in last year
One in six farmers has been the victim of a crime in their home or on their farm over the last 12 months.
Dawn Meats on brink of buying Kildare Chilling
The beef industry is rife with speculation that Dawn Meats is on the brink of of buying the Kildare Chilling plant in Kildare town.
Anger as Minister Coveney rules out new environmental package
There will be no new AEOS programme in 2014 despite up to 13,000 farmers coming out of REPS 4 this year.
Price gap at 20 year high as UK beef hits €5/kg
Irish beef producers are losing over €5m per week as a €5/kg steer price in Britain pushes the gap between Irish and British beef prices to a 20-year peak.
Yields from harvest 2013 were good – but we broke no records
With two brothers abroad, our family decided to have our own little gathering, for the year that was in it. When did they decide on having it? The last week of August, when the only gathering we were thinking about was the gathering in of the grain.
It's easy to turn your back on woodland in the summer months – so now is an ideal time to inspect, assess progress and note anything untoward
Time and again, and across all sectors, it has been shown that good management pays off and this applies to forestry as much as any other sector.
Clem McMahon hoping foal can follow in footsteps of Pacino
Irish international show jumper Clem McMahon, who was devastated by the loss of his top jumping horse and breeding stallion Pacino last February, has bought a foal he hopes could follow in the footsteps of his Nations Cup-winning sire.
Two-horse electoral race that's still too close to call
The IFA presidential elections traditionally kick off during the week of the Ploughing Championships.
Good year for dairy farmers looks set to roll on into 2014
The year has proven to be a good one for the dairy sector, thanks to tight milk supplies and robust demand. Global milk production had been constrained since 2012, first by cost hikes and falling milk prices and then, more recently, by unfavourable weather factors. New Zealand supplies, which had rocketed up 10pc in 2012, fell back dramatically this year, down by 7pc in June alone and by 1.3pc for the entire season.
Home harvest wins against shop produce
Those of us who believe in the benefits of producing home-grown food always have to be careful we are not dismissed as eccentric tree-huggers, the type who are said to wear sandals, eat muesli and support Friends of the Earth.
Our first task must be to address soil compaction
In my 34 years of walking, monitoring and managing tillage crops, I think it is fair to say that I have never come across two back-to-back seasons that have been such a contrast in terms of crop growth and income returns as 2012 and 2013.
From mapping to the weather – five apps to make life easier
Smartphones offer a plethora of handy apps for farmers. Here are five to download straight away.
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Irish News
Mother dies as children flee fire
A mother in her 40s has died in a house fire from which her two children escaped.
Maddie search: Irish couple identify main suspect
AN IRISH family has been instrumental in identifying the man police believe to be the main suspect in Madeleine McCann's disappearance. Martin Smith was holidaying with his wife Mary, children Aoife and Peter, and other family members, in the resort of Praia da Luz, Portugal, when Maddie vanished six years ago.
Woman in her 40s dies in house fire
A WOMAN has died following a house fire in Co Wicklow this morning.
37st man forced to pay for two seats on jet from Ireland - finds they are rows apart
A 37-STONE man was forced to pay for two seats on a jet, only to discover that they were two rows apart.
Irish Rail apologises as ‘driver issue’ reduces DART capacity
COMMUTERS using the DART this morning face possible delays as some services are operating with reduced peak-time capacity due to what Irish Rail has described as a “driver issue”.
Geoghegan case garda to stand in elections for FF
A RETIRED garda detective, who was a senior investigator on the Shane Geoghegan murder case, has announced that he will run in next summer's local elections.
Linda hoping for duet with Nile Rodgers at Chic show
SINGER Linda Martin is hoping to 'Get Lucky' with a reprieve of the catchy global smash at Chic's concert in Dublin.
Irish father in US car smash is laid to rest
THE Irish father-of-two who was tragically killed in the US, will be laid to rest today.
Two garda killers who faced death penalty have been freed from prison
TWO garda killers who were originally sentenced to death have been quietly freed from jail.
Drugs mules sharing cells with 38 others
PRISON life has become tougher for drug mules Michaella McCollum Connolly and Melissa Reid after they were forced to move to a cramped cell with 38 others.